Talk:Starlight Glimmer/@comment-2012421-20190826002143/@comment-37224955-20190828223511
From my point of view, Starlight Glimmer is the turning point of MLP G4 franchise, changing from kids' show as audience to a yound adult and mature audience, the passage from fable to very close elements of 'adults' society Before her all enemies were creature of myths, previously defeated by beings of legend Like Celestia, Luna or Starswirl or downright abominations like Queen Chrysalis and her minions, and they were always beaten by magic of friendship thorugh a 'taste the rainbow' attack or power of love for Chrissy. Starlight Glimmer isn't some kind of monster from outside, also she doesn't actively try to search and attack/convert the Mane 6, it is the Magic Tree that sent all 6 ponies to look for the trouble and get involved. Starlight Glimmer' beliefs are more insidious than a manifest show of raw power, all because to an intriguing promise of equality as tool for happiness and being in a paradise (see Fluttershy dancing at Rhytm of our town song), but under such fascinating ideal there is an oppressive and scary form of cultism, cult of personality and disturbing brainwashing sequences reminiscent of communist dystopia like East Germany or literature like 1984. The way to subdue Twilight and her friends isn't to drain their power magic, or energy life or brainwashing them but on a more indirect way: She stole their talent, their being special and different like individual, all of it by removing the cutie marks, the element that make every pony different with a special revealed talent where to excel and then forcing them into a brainwashing chamber to accept and in the end enjoy such loss as an improvement to their life It is an adult fear to lose your identity and skills, to being forced to obey to an order imposed for a greater good of society and individuality is good only as tool to serve society, not to better the individual When such dystopian society crushed for a fluke (Fluttershy missed the bucket's target and only an overzealous brainwashed pony discovered casually the Starlight Glimmer' s secret with her self defence failing against evidence of if not everyone is equal, than the utopia is flawed) it is up to villagers to take back their cutie marks and saving the Mane 6 NOTE THIS: Starlight Glimmer was forced to escape by her rebellious citizens that also saved the cutie marks of Twilight and her friends, not by the heroines or Spike or Magic Device like before, but from ordinary ponies Also her path for revenge set a new standard for the franchise, because we see her just for fixed frame in two episodes, one where Pinkie Pie and Discord discuss about time travel and we wonder what she is up In Season 5 finale we are introduced to her brilliant and devious plan: discover the special link of Sonic Rainboom for Mane 6 (season 1), acquiring StarSwirl 's time spell (Season 2), modyfing such spell (a feat similar to Twilight done during Season 3) and use the Cutie Map (Season 5 opening) to travel through time and space (Twilight was able with unmodified spell to travel back in time of one week not also through space) and block the rainboom of filly Rainbow Dash and then destroying the special bond of Mane 6 and also their fates. We see many elements of previous seasons melted into a single episode for a specific plot purpose She also adds the devious gift of Starswirl ' s spell to Twiligt and Spike so they got sucked in time AFTER Glim Glam was there and every time that they use that spell (probably weakening as magic every time only Twilight that cast the spell) to come back earlier they also transport back even earlier Starlight, making every attempt to stop the enraged unicorn useless because her emotion powered magic, her incredible manipulative skills and different approaches to block Rainbow Dash or Fluttershy being bullied. In such time loophole, no mind trick, moral lesson or logic about time travel risks (and starlight is smart to understand quickly the problem but dismiss it because she believes being arrogance and overblown ego from Twilight about her importance for Equestria the inspiration of such speech) no pure raw magic power (and no friends to ask for help), was enough to beat Starlight, the only way for Twilight to hope to beat her was to show the future or rather the present, and the alternate timeline where they fall upon is indeed the worst scenario, also an adult fear...complete destruction of Equestria, with no life, a bleak sky and the only savage howl of wind as sound...this is where Starlight Glimmer finally breaks, she shows the freudian excuse for her hate of cutie marks and is on verge of complete madness when Twilight consider as ridiculous her motivation as ideal and revenge. Here Twilight makes an errror to dismiss an unstable powerful unicorn 's motivations and Starlight ' s reaction was swift and madly brillliant: slowly destroy the scroll and making the time travel changes loop permanent to cause suffering upon the responsible for having crushed her delusions of grandeur and freudian excuses with the vision of harsh reality of consequences of her vendetta. This is where Twilight faces IMHO her greatest challenge in whole G4: to be able to offer a rope of hope/redemption/salvation from self dustruction of Starlight and Equestria offering (again) her friendship, admitting that even her she doesn't know why she and her friends are so important for Equestria and offering a choice for her sorrow/guilty complex wih her being at her side and Starlight Glimmer makes one thing that no other villain even after does: She unconditionally SURRENDER (sure it happens after return, but she is ready to accept whatever punishment without objection) to Twiilight and start her road to redemption BUT...here authors failed, or to be more precise the Season 5 finale failed, because her forgive was all too easy and quick to accept from other ponies with a song ESPECIALLY by the Mane 5 and ponies of our town that were tortured and probably several time brainwashed plus having their cutie marks removed for several years. The Season 6 is the effort from authors to fix the error of Season5 finale, by making her an atoner and Twilight 's first student, still prone to abuse of her great magical power to solve problems (every little thing she does), also and yet we see that Glim Glam is great to introduce new interesting characters (sunburst with his nerdy attitude and his surprise about her old friend for being able to travel through time than being in the past a dictator of other ponies) or reintroducing beloved characters like Trixie (and their chemistry is great) or being an interesting fictional villain in the best Heartwarming Tail episode Her apotheosis is the defeat without using magic and with the help an interesting combination of secondary characters (according to Discord obviously) of the most favourite villain of the franchise: Queen Chrysalis that like Starlight before refuses an offer of friendhsip and prepare for revenge in the future And obviously the reformation of the whole changeling race to a peaceful, friendly and good looking population of insect part beetle part butterflies(because buy our toys) After that they reduced a little her role and uberpowersin after season 6, but used her to make 'adult fun' of Mane 6 (like their tendency to sing to celebrate a learned lesson) or the cartoon production (she predicted that would last at least 9 seasons and she was 'right') or making her cooperate with support characters instead of Mane 6 (especially Maud Pie and Young Six), and also daring some risky but fruitful incursions on revered characters and creating an over cool villain, even for only a single episode (Daybreaker) and also her chaotic good behaviour screw the rules when the goal is noble and worthy to help grow even more Twilight She changed MLP to adult audience definitely and whatever reformed or villain, her footprint as behaviour, planning and meme faces influenced the whole franchise to new aspects and heights.